Many times, ED nurses feel the pinch of corporate and economic squeezes and wonder if nursing can be appreciated and supported in a meaningful way. Franklin Square Hospital has made a serious effort and has developed some special ways to value their nurses.

Our hospital IS amazing!  We are a couple of years into our "Magnet Journey" and I can feel the positives changes and attitudes that this is generating above and beyond where we were when we started. Our Professional Development Council  redesigned our Professional Nursing Ladder taking it from 3 to 5 levels. This has really stimulated many of the ED RNs who never seemed interested in the past.

Our ED Nurse Manager decided to send three RNs to National ENA in San Antonio last year from ED grant funds. They were chosen from a contest on "What attendance at National would mean to me".

A two day CEN seminar was arranged and held in March. It was a very successful event with 65 attendees from the area and as far away as Charlottesville, Va. Twenty of the ED RNs were sent sponsored by the ED nurse manager Sue Tooma, hospital Chief Nursing Officer and Magnet Coordinator. We are really trying to get our staff excited about education, self improvement, etc and seem to be succeeding.  Multiple RNs have also recently joined ENA.

Patricia S. Gilligan  RN  CEN  CRNA

ED Education Coordinator

Franklin Square Hospital Center

Baltimore, MD  21237-3998